The band
is sharing previously unreleased song “Fascinating” to benefit global
organization Mercy Corps’ Hurricane Dorian relief and
recovery efforts in the Bahamas. Peter, Mike, and Michael recorded the song in
2004 at Nassau’s Compass Point Studios.

You
can stream the song for free on Bandcamp and download it for a minimum donation
of $2 or an amount of your choosing. Proceeds will go directly to Mercy Corps’ emergency response and
recovery efforts
in the Bahamas.

About
the Song:

“Fascinating” first appeared on the original master of 2001’s Reveal before being cut last minute. It was Michael’s favorite song from the Reveal sessions according to Peter’s recollection, as chronicled in David Buckley’s R.E.M. biography, Fiction.

“It’s really beautiful,” Mike told Buckley. “It has a flute, oboe
arrangement, but it made the record too long… and something had to go.” The
track was re-recorded in Nassau for 2004’s Around the Sun, but the lush
ballad ultimately didn’t jibe with that album. Now this poignant outtake
finally finds its fitting moment, as a means to aid the country where the band
enjoyed over two months of creative retreat.

“I
have been fortunate to spend many weeks working and playing in the Bahamas,
making friends and lots of music there,” reflects Mills. “It breaks my heart to
see the damage wrought by Hurricane Dorian. Please help us and Mercy Corps do
what we can to alleviate the suffering caused by this catastrophe.”

Hurricane
Dorian hammered the Bahamas’ northwest islands of Grand Bahama and Abaco for 48
hours in early September 2019, causing widespread destruction and leaving
76,000 people homeless and in need of lifesaving assistance. Mercy Corps mobilized
immediately and are committed to reaching 3,000 families with emergency kits
including mosquito nets, tarps, jerrycans, water-purifying tablets and rope.

“The
Bahamas faces a long road to recovery after this devastating hurricane,” says
Neal Keny-Guyer, CEO of Mercy Corps. “We’re grateful to have R.E.M. in our
global community of humanitarians, sharing their song with the world to help
the people of the Bahamas recover and build back even stronger.”

In
2005, following a visit to Mercy Corps’ Hurricane Katrina recovery program in
New Orleans, Stipe released a six-song EP that raised nearly $100K for Mercy
Corps’ relief efforts along the United States Gulf Coast. The band also generously
supported Mercy Corps’ Katrina relief efforts.

UPDATE: Mike also wanted us to draw your attention to a Go Fund Me page for Hope for Hope Town –funds from this effort will go TO HOPE TOWN & THE OTHER NORTHERN BAHAMIAN ISLANDS… HOPE TOWN, GUANA, MAN-O-WAR, ETC which have been devastated by Hurricane Dorian. Thank you for your support!